Standards

Born To Be Blue chords & key

Key: C major
Form: AABA
Bars: 32
Groove: Ballad
Time signature: 4/4

“Born To Be Blue” is a jazz standard by Wells-Torme. It is usually played in C major as a ballad, and the 32-bar AABA form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 3 major ii–V–I cadences, uses 22 different chords and moves between the key centres F♯ major, B major and E♭ major. In this atlas it appears on 24 album tracks.

Chord changes

to key

Showing in: Concert (C) — C major

C⁷D♭^7♯11

C⁷G♭^7♯11

F⁷E♭⁷

A♭^maj7G^7♯5

C^m7D♭^7♯11

C^m7F⁷

F^m7D^7♯5♯9

D^m7♭5G⁷

F^m7A♭⁷G⁷

C⁶

A♭^m7D♭⁷

G♭^maj7

D♭^m7G♭⁷

B^maj7A♭^m7

F^m7B♭⁷

E♭^maj7D^m7♭5G⁷

C⁷D♭^7♯11

C⁷G♭^7♯11

F⁷E♭⁷

A♭^maj7G^7♯5

C^m7D♭^7♯11

C^m7F⁷

F^m7A♭⁷G⁷

C⁶D♭^7♯11

Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.

Harmonic analysis

3Major ii–V–I

0Minor ii–V–i

10ii–V moves

3Tritone substitutions

2Dominant chains

22Different chords

Most used chords

D♭^7♯11×7
C⁷×6
F⁷×6
C^m7×6
F^m7×4
G⁷×4

Key centres reached by ii–V

F♯ major, B major and E♭ major

Characteristics

AABA song form

Recorded on these albums

1953	New Faces - New Sounds Wynton Kelly · “Born to Be Blue”
1955	Helen Merrill Helen Merrill · “Born to Be Blue”
1959	Like Blue André Previn and David Rose · “Born to Be Blue”
1959	Gee, Baby Ain't I Good To You? Donna Hightower
1961	Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie! Ella Fitzgerald · “(I Was) Born to Be Blue”
1961	Cool Velvet Stan Getz · “Born to Be Blue”
1961	The Swingin’s Mutual! The George Shearing Quintet & Nancy Wilson · “Born to the Blue”
1961	Twisting the Jug Gene Ammons with Joe Newman, Jack McDuff · “Born to Be Blue”
1962	My Kind of Music Mel Tormé · “Born to Be Blue”
1963	Ingredients in a Recipe for Soul Ray Charles · “Born to Be Blue”
1963	Born to Be Blue! Bobby Timmons · “Born to Be Blue”
1964	Sings Mel Torme’s California Suite Sammy Davis Jr. · “Born to Be Blue”
1964	Movin’ Wes Wes Montgomery · “Born to Be Blue”
1965	Baby Breeze Chet Baker · “Born to Be Blue”
1965	The In Sound Eddie Harris · “Born to Be Blue”
1967	Full View Wynton Kelly · “Born to Be Blue”
1967	The Fox & the Hounds Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis · “Born to Be Blue”
1970	Things We Like Jack Bruce · “Born to Be Blue”
1971	Companionship: Jazz Joint, Volume 2 Sahib Shihab · “Born to Be Blue”
1981	Alone Together George Shearing & Marian McPartland · “Born to Be Blue”
1982	Born to Be Blue Freddie Hubbard · “Born to Be Blue”
1982	An Evening With George Shearing & Mel Tormé George Shearing & Mel Tormé · “Born to Be Blue”
1985	Born to Be Blue Grant Green · “Born to Be Blue”
1993	The in Sound / Mean Greens Eddie Harris · “Born to Be Blue”

Frequently asked questions

What key is Born To Be Blue in?

Born To Be Blue is usually played in C major. For B♭ instruments that is D major, for E♭ instruments A major.

Who wrote Born To Be Blue?

Born To Be Blue was written by Wells-Torme.

What is the form of Born To Be Blue?

Born To Be Blue has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.

How fast is Born To Be Blue played?

The usual groove is Ballad.

What are the chord changes to Born To Be Blue?

The opening bars are C7 Db7#11 | C7 Gb7#11 | F7 Eb7 | Abmaj7 G7#5. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.